Internet Video Contributes To Second Straight Decline In TV Households

Keep this in mind during the upcoming TV season when you compare the audience size for a network or show to its performance last season. Nielsen says that the TV universe now consists of 114.2M households, down 475,620 from last year. It follows last year’s drop of about 400,000. Some of the decline is due to people who stream shows instead of watching via conventional broadcast or pay TV, Nielsen says. (A TV household is defined as one capable of tuning in to at least one station.) “Nielsen is working with its clients on the evolution of the current definition of a TV household and a TV device for their ratings services, potentially qualifying video content delivered to a TV via the Internet,” the company says. The results that govern ratings for the coming TV season show major changes in some markets: Cities with the biggest gains in households were Los Angeles (+43,680 to 5.6M), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (+37,330 to 1.6M), Atlanta (+34,200 to 2.3M), Houston (+30,390 to 2.2M), and Austin (+18,450 to 705,280). Those seeing the biggest drops: Philadelphia (-44,060 to 2.9M), Cleveland-Akron (-29,030 to 1.5M), Birmingham (-21,260 to 717,530), Indianapolis (-20,270 to 1.1M), and Albuquerque (-18,600 to 691,450).